My Host Mother

I took this photo in the summer of 2009 in my yard with my host mother in a small village in Ukraine. Summertime brings so many fresh fruits and vegetables to the market and such beautiful weather after the long hard winter that it is hard to keep locals indoors once the weather turns warm. One of the favorite pastimes in Ukraine is 'Shashliking' a meat kabob picnic in a nearby forest or out behind the house. The meat is slowly smoked over wood embers while the picnickers start eating fresh salads, cut tomatoes and cucumbers and open top sandwiches. In this photo I was preparing vegetable kabobs to share with my host family, my host mother overlooking to learn my recipe.